The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method and an information processing device in which information processing can be continued in response to an operation input even in a case where fault is generated in communication between a first information processing device which accepts an operation input and a second information processing device which executes the information processing in response to the operation input.
A technology has been known in which a notebook-size personal computer (PC), a low-performance PC and the like access a high-performance PC and a server via a network to perform a remote operation.
In recent years, from viewpoints of security and information leakage prevention, an information processing system is put to practical use in which a storage unit such as a hard disk is not mounted on a first information processing device (hereinafter referred to also as an operation unit or a user computer) operated by an operator. In a case where the operator inputs operation information by use of a keyboard, a mouse and the like, the operation information is transmitted to a second information processing device (hereinafter referred to also as an operation target or a host computer) remotely connected via the network. The operation target processes the operation information, and transmits a result of the information processing as image data to the operation unit. The image data is displayed in a display of the operation unit.
In such an information processing system, the operation unit performs the input of the operation information and the display of the information processing result only, and any information is not stored in the operation unit. Therefore, even if the operation unit is lost or stolen, the information leakage can be prevented.
In such an information processing system, the operation unit does not execute any information processing. The remote operation target connected via the network executes the information processing. Therefore, if the connection via the network is interrupted or cut, the information cannot be processed. For example, when the operation unit accesses the operation target via a cellular phone network to perform a remote operation and the operation unit moves to the outside of the sphere of electric waves of the cellular phone network, the connection is cut, and then the subsequent operation cannot be continued. Therefore, in a case where the remote operation is performed in, for example, a train, the connection is interrupted every time the train passes through a tunnel, and the remote operation is interrupted.
To solve the problem, a technology is developed in which the operation can continuously be performed, even when the connection via the network is interrupted or cut (see, e.g., JP-A-2000-148572, JP-A-6-230995 and JP-A-10-149326).